Olympians open sports complex

Solent University’s multi-million pound sports complex, situated at the city centre campus, was officially opened by alumni GB gymnast Kelly Simm and Paralympic Gold medallist Helena Lucas today (17 October 2019).

During the event, staff, students and alumni joined representatives from local colleges and community organisations on a tour of the new building; watched a basketball game in the new high performance sports hall; and took part in a Q&A panel discussion with Kelly, Helena, Interim Vice-Chancellor Professor Julie Hall and Football Science Lecturer, Chris Neville.

“It’s such an incredible building,” said Kelly Simm. “It’s so different to what we had just a few years ago. I’ve been using it for a couple of months now, and it really does have everything an elite athlete needs; it’s just amazing.”

“It’s really impressive,” Helena added. “I’ve been in a lot of gyms around the world and I was just blown away. To have this sort of facility here where you can keep your training up and fit it around your studies is just brilliant.”

Situated in the heart of the city, Solent Sports Complex is based at the University's main East Park Terrace campus and is the latest addition to a wider £100 million estates development plan.

The complex includes two sports halls; two fitness studios and a spin studio - offering a range of classes; a general purpose gym, which is open to the general public; a strength and conditioning gym for students and commercial partners; and a teaching gym, to support undergraduate teaching for relevant courses. The complex also includes a sports and exercise therapy clinical space.

Speaking at the event, Interim Vice-Chancellor, Professor Julie Hall, said: “This investment, alongside our excellence in teaching and our commitment to real-world learning, ensures that we continue to offer an excellent student experience that prepares our graduates for the world of work.”

“This £28 million complex will also enable us to continue to build on our close relationship with the local community, businesses and organisations and provide ‘real-world learning’ opportunities for our students.”

The new sports complex multi-purpose public gym, consists of 90 stations, featuring over 40 pieces of cardio vascular equipment, including: two Pulse virtual reality treadmills; two Pulse curve self-propelled treadmills; two trickster bikes; 14 Pulse fusion treadmills; four ellipticals; three cross-climbers; two lateral; four concept II rowers; 1 versa climber; one power plate; and two step mills. There are also 23 fixed-resistance machines, 18 free-weight stations, and one, 8-10 person functional training rig.

Further information on the Complex can be found on the website.